The Springfield College men’s basketball team was selected to embark on a 62-day, around-the-world goodwill tour sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The individuals on the trip included Head coach Ed Steitz, trainer-manager Tony Scolnick, and public information director George Wood, along with 10 varsity players: Ralph Arietta, Larry Buell, Jim Champlin, Ben Davis, Leon Drury, Rick Janes, Bill Scanlon, Reed Schultz, Bob Sisson, and Paul Wagner. The tour was designed to teach fundamentals of the game to youth, and play demonstration games, mostly against local competition. The tour included 111 clinics conducted by the team, which included 80,000 people in attendance. The team also played 26 games, winning all of them, in front a crowd of 65,000 fans.

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